Manitoba advances to semi-final to face Nova Scotia

Manitoba, skipped by Terry McNamee of Hamiota, scored a popular 7-6 win over Ontario Friday evening in a second tiebreaker to advance to Saturday’s semi-final of the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship.

The battle for third place went to the 10th end, when McNamee was able to engineer a winning deuce, eliminating Chris Gardner’s team from Arnprior, who, earlier in the day, had ousted New Brunswick, 9-3 in the first tiebreaker.

McNamee fired 74% while Gardner shot only 60%. Yet the game remained close throughout.

Ontario had opened the scoring by stealing one in the first end, but by the fifth end break, Manitoba has wrestled control, 3-2. However, a deuce in the sixth end, and another single steal in the seventh propelled Ontario to a 5-3 lead, before the host province tied it with a pair in the eighth.

Ontario was forced to take one in the ninth, setting the stage for a dramatic deuce in the 10th end by Manitoba.

Now, McNamee, who has twice finished third at The Mixed, goes up against Nova Scotia’s Paul Flemming of Halifax in Saturday’s morning semi-final at 9:00 am CT/10:00 am ET.

The winner will then meet Prince Edward Island, skipped by Robert Campbell, in the 1:30 pm final of the 48th edition of The Mixed.

Flemming is a two-time Mixed champion, winning in 1999 in Victoria and 2003 in Abbotsford, while Campbell won the 1989 Mixed in Brandon, the last time it was held in Manitoba.